The subject matter disclosed herein generally relates to an aircraft control system, and more particularly, to economic optimization of the aircraft.
Operators of both fixed wing and rotary wing aircraft are under pressure to operate the aircraft as efficiently as possible due to the narrow margins of the particular business. Substantial expenses typically include fuel costs, maintenance costs, part replacement cost, and the cost associated with aircraft downtime, for example.
With regard to fuel usage, operators typically perform a basic analysis of their flight operations in an attempt to reduce fuel consumption. Further, maintenance costs, part replacement costs, and downtime costs have typically been evaluated by analyzing historical operational data. However, such practices are not only time consuming, but also generate only an approximation of the operational cost associated with various flight parameters.
There is therefore, a need for improved systems and methods for evaluating and optimizing the economic usage of an aircraft for pre-flight planning and in real time during flight.